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A Paradigm Lost
The linguistic thought of Mikołaj Kruszewski
The general theory of language of Mikołaj Kruszweski (1851-1887) is, this book argues, a “lost paradigm” in the history of linguistics. The concept of 'paradigm' is understood in a broadly construed Kuhnian sense, and its applicability to linguistics as a science is examined.
It is argued that Kruszewski's theory was a covert paradigm in that his major work, Ocerk nauki o jazyke ('An Outline of the Science of Language', 1883), had the potential to be seminal in the history of linguistics, i.e. to achieve the status of a 'classical text', or 'exemplar'. This potential was not realized because Kruszewski's influence was hindered by various historical factors, including his early death and the simultaneous consolidation of the Neogrammarian paradigm, with its emphasis on phonology and language change. The book examines the intellectual background of Kruszweski's thought, which was rooted, in part, in the tradition of British empiricism. It also discusses Kruszewski's relationship to his teacher Jean Baudouin de Courtenay (1845-1929), his attitude towards the Neogrammarian movement in linguistics, the ambivalent reception of his theory by his contemporaries, and the influence of his work on the linguistic theory of Roman Jakobson (1896-1982).
[Studies in the History of the Language Sciences, 72] 1994. xii, 200 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 3 October 2011
Published online on 3 October 2011
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
- Prelim pages | pp. i–vi
- Preface | pp. vii–viii
- Table of contents | pp. ix–xi
- I. Introductory Remarks on Linguistic Historiography | pp. 1–13
- 1.1 Kruszewski's place in the history of linguistics
- 1.2 The relationship between the past and the present in linguistic theory
- 1.3 Paradigms in the history of linguistics
- 1.4 Kruszewski's theory as a ‘lost paradigm’
- 1.5 Establishing the historical context
- II. Historical Background for the Development of Kruszewski's Thought | pp. 14–38
- 2.1 Kruszewski's research goals
- 2.2 John Stuart Mill and the rise of the social sciences
- 2.3 The Neogrammarians, Baudouin de Courtenay, and the definition of linguistic science
- III. Kruszewski's Linguistic Writings Before Očerk Nauki O Jazyke (1883) | pp. 39–68
- 3.1 The beginning of Kruszewski's linguistic career
- 3.2 “Nabljudenija nad nekotorymi fonetičeskimi javlenijami svjazannymi s akcentuaciej” (1879)
- 3.3 “Lingvističeskie zametki” (1880)
- 3.4 Sound laws and sound alternations: K voprosu o gune (1881)
- 3.5 “On ‘Analogy’ and ‘Folk Etymology’” (1879)
- IV. Kruszewski's Theory of Language in Očerk Nauki O Jazyke | pp. 69–133
- 4.1 Definitions of linguistic science
- 4.2 The nature of linguistic units
- 4.3 The laws of association
- 4.4 The sound system of language
- 4.5 The morphological system of language
- 4.6 Kruszewski's conception of the linguistic system as a whole
- 4.7 Kruszewski's conception of language change
- V. Kruszewski and Baudouin de Courtenay | pp. 134–157
- 5.1 Baudouin's mentorship of Kruszewski
- 5.2 Baudouin's frustration with academic life
- 5.3 Kruszewski's illness
- 5.4 Baudouin's obituary of Kruszewski
- 5.5 Relevance of the ‘Lautgesetz’ controversy
- 5.6 The reception of Kruszewski's theory
- VI. Conclusion: Kruszewski's Place in the History of Linguistics | pp. 158–178
- 6.1 Influence of Kruszewski on Jakobson
- 6.2 Kruszewski and linguistic historiography in the second half of the 20th century
- 6.3 Kruszewski's place in the history of linguistics
- | pp. 179–190
- Index of Names | pp. 191–194
- Index of Subjects and Terms | pp. 195–200
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